Old-Age ailments

CEBU, Philippines - It’s just the way it is – the human body wears down with age. Some people are able to cushion the negative impact of such natural wearing down; others are able to conceal its signs for a while. But the certainty of it is there; thus it’s smart to be familiar with the signs of its onset.

As a person ages, it’s far more likely that he or she develops more than one long-term health issue that requires ongoing medical attention, writes Dr. Siamak Nabili, MD, MPH at the website www.medicinenet.com. In fact, Dr. Nabili states, majority of old people today suffer from multiple chronic conditions. The doctor stresses that it can be far more complex to deal with old-age ailments when there’s two or more of it occurring at the same time, with different treatments, and the ways medications can interact.

With today’s information explosion – the internet being a portal towards indeterminable amount of data and ideas – it’s easy to learn about anything, including the particular ailments affecting a loved one or oneself. It’s now even possible to chat with good doctors anywhere in the world, in order to better understand the symptoms, facilitate treatment and assist the ill member of the family with activities of daily living. “Knowledge is power,” Dr. Nabili quotes a cliché, and, true, with proper knowledge family members can better care for their elderly, especially those with age-related ailments.

Medical problems in the elderly can involve any organ system in the body, Dr. Nabili points out. Most old-age conditions result from decreased function or degeneration of the involved organ. Dr. Nabili lists the most commonly encountered medical conditions in old people based on organ system:

Musculoskeletal: osteoarthritis (inflammation of joints due to wear and tear), osteoporosis (bone loss), gout, loss of muscle mass, fractures.

Hormonal: diabetes (impaired control of blood glucose), menopause, thyroid dysfunction, high blood cholesterol, slower overall metabolism.

Neurologic: dementia (Alzheimer’s or other types), Parkinson’s disease, strokes, poor vision, hearing impairment, balance problem.

Visual: macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, diabetes and hypertension-related eye disease.

Cardiovascular disease: heart attacks, congestive heart failure, irregular heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation), high blood pressure (hypertension), atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of blood vessels) and peripheral vascular disease or peripheral artery disease (poor blood flow as a result of narrow blood vessels).

Lungs: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), loss of lung volume.

Kidneys: poor kidney function (kidney or renal disease) from long standing diabetes and hypertension.

Skin and Hair: hair loss, dry skin, itching, infections.

Cancers: prostate, colon, lung, breast, skin, bladder, ovary, brain, pancreas, to name a few.

Bone marrow and immune system: inability to produce sufficient blood cells (anemia, myelodysplasia).

Gastrointestinal: stomach ulcers, diverticulosis (small pockets forming in the wall of colon), colon inflammation or colitis from infection or ischemic (poor blood flow), dysphagia (swallowing difficulty), constipation, bowel incontinence, hemorrhoids.

Urinary: urinary incontinence, urinary urgency, difficulty urinating.

Oral and dental: gum disease, dry mouth, loss of teeth, poorly fitting dentures.

Infections: urinary tract infection, pneumonia, skin infection, shingles, colon infection (diverticulitis, colitis).

Psychiatric: depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, insomnia.

General problems include fatigue, general deconditioning, forgetfulness, medication side effects, diminished appetite, weight loss, and falls due to lack of balance and slow reflexes.

Social issues can also have a significant impact on life and both physical and mental health of elderly people, Dr. Nabili writes. Some of the major contributors to social and psychological problems for seniors are loneliness from losing a spouse and friends, inability to independently manage regular activities of living, difficulty coping and accepting physical changes of aging, frustration with ongoing medical problems and increasing number of medications.

Moreover, the elderly also feel social isolation as adult children already have their own lives, feel inadequate from inability to continue to work, boredom from retirement and lack of routine activities, and experience financial stresses from the loss of regular income. All these have a negative impact on the overall health of an ageing person. Therefore, these need to be addressed as an integral component of the complex medical care of the elderly.

Dr. Nabili advices everyone to make lifestyle changes as they age, in order to lead a healthy life. The basic formula of balanced diet and regular exercise is key in maintaining a healthy life for people of all ages. Routine exercise and healthy diet in old people can have an even more noticeable impact in their general wellbeing, according to Dr. Nabili. Rebecca Caballes   (FREEMAN)